Transitional Realities
an excerpt

Chapter 1

I spun Nathan around to stare me in the face. "You don't know what you're doing."

"Of course I don't. I'm only fourteen. I don't know nothing, do I?"

"I'm not saying you're dumb, but I know people, and this girl is nothing but trouble. I can feel it."

"My feelings say the opposite. I love her and she loves me. So why can't you just let me chose my own path?" He grabbed his pack and stepped to the door.

"You can't leave, I'm not finished." I rushed to hold the door shut.

He glared at me. "You don't have the foggiest idea what it is like to be known as the son of the miracle worker, so you?"

I wondered why he brought this up again. It seemed to be a burr that stuck in his pants. "No, I don't. But that's no excuse for doing something stupid." I wished I hadn't used that word.

His jaw set firm, and his face reddened. He grabbed the door, yanked it open, and flew out. It was no use going after him. He wouldn't help to talk to him in this condition.

I turned and caught Gabrielle's reaction. She sat at the table, staring down at her breakfast. I sat down beside her and rubbed her shoulder.

"He'll come around."

"I hope so." She leaned her head on my shoulder. "He's so different from you. More like Seth when he was young."

"Yeah, and look how he turned out."

Kalee entered the house. "Where's Nathan going?"

I shrugged. "You know your brother. Probably to see Crystal. He seems taken by the girl."

"And no one seems to know much about her. My friends say she seems to have come from nowhere." She sat down. "Oh, good. I'm hungry. Can I have some?"

Gabrielle rose. "No, we're bad parents and only want our kids to starve." She grabbed a bowl, dished some of the stew in and handed it to her with some flat bread.

I glanced at Kalee cramming a piece of stew-sopped bread into her mouth. "You're sixteen, when are you going to get a husband?"

She chuckled. "No one in town is worthy of me. I'll just be a nun."

Gabrielle sat down. "A girl as pretty as you? What a waste."

"Mom, doesn't it say in the Bible to offer your best to God?"

I winked at Kalee. "She's got you there. It's off to the nunary with you!" I roughed up her hair.

A knock sounded at the door. I expected no one, but a sense of dread fell over me. I opened the door to find two of the villagers, their faces colorless, their eyes drooping.

"John, Henry, what can I do for you?"

John's voice shook as he talked. "There's some mad man who is holding the king hostage." The two glanced at each other. "He says, he wants you to come or he will kill them."

"Me? Why me?"

"He didn't say."

I glanced at Gabrielle. Her blue eyes said, "Don't go." But what choice did I have? "Don't worry. God will protect me." I fingered the ring on my left hand. The ring I received from the steam house when I was fourteen-years-old. The ring the village priest said had wed me to God's service, to be my brother's keeper. An inscription in Hebrew upon it said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." The priest had warned me never to use it for my own benefit or it would be a curse upon me.

I had only made that mistake once. Once was enough. I had traveled the countryside performing miracles for all sorts of people before that. After my failure, I died, but came back to fulfill my task to love and give of myself, but within the context of a marriage to Gabrielle and a family. Amazing miracles had become stories from the past.

Yet, the stories persisted, and people still expected me to do them. Usually they left disappointed. Often they discovered, however, that God resolved their problems in other ways, or helped them to live with the problem.

Still, the ring hung to my finger, never budging since I had put it back on after using it to feed myself in that desert. A reminder that God had wed me not only to Himself, but to Gabrielle and my family.

Yet, with Nathan I wondered whether I had failed in that task. I hoped not. All I could do is pray and try to help him as best I could. But Kalee reminded me that I did have some success as a parent.

"I'm going with you, Dad." Kalee left the table and grabbed her sword.

"You should stay here. Your mom may need you more."

"Nonsense. If this guy is a madman, you know you shouldn't go alone."

"I'll have the whole village with me."

She glanced at John and Henry standing in the doorway. "Dad, they aren't going to jump to your aid. And you're no fighter."

"And that has served me well over the years too. I don't have the temptation to resort to violence unnecessarily."

She sheathed her sword and stared at me.

"All right, but don't do anything unless I give the word. I might be able to talk this guy down."

I hugged Gabrielle. She wrapped her arms around me, as if she would never let go. "I'll be okay. Once this guy realizes I can't perform miracles anymore, he'll go away, like they all do."

She nodded, but remained silent. I rubbed her back before walking out the door. I paused at the threshold and met her eyes. An odd feeling flooded me. I had trouble identifying it, but whatever it meant, I didn't like it. Almost as if I wouldn't be returning to see her face again.

"I'll be back." I smiled at her, then stepped out. Kalee followed behind me. The sense of dread grew stronger, but I dare not say anything. But I think Kalee felt it too because neither of us said a word all the way there.

#

As we approached the city gates, I heard footsteps running on the cobbled streets. The cluck of wood lifted from its moorings sounded and the doors opened. My eyes darted around as we walked in, looking for any sign of danger.

Orgs held bows, each notched with an arrow and pulled back. I hoped they all had steady hands. I checked, and Kalee knew enough not to go for her sword. It would be useless and only cause her a quick death.

"Follow me." An org waved his hand and stepped toward the king's castle. We followed. All along the path arrows pointed our direction.

Upon climbing to the castle steps, the org turned to face us. "You will need to give me your weapon." He held out his hand.

Kalee frowned, but knew she had no choice. She unsheathed it and handed it to him hilt first. "Be careful with it. My uncle Seth gave that to me."

He grunted, maybe it was a chuckle only an org could give. "I'll take extra special care of it." He tossed it to the ground, stepped on it and ground it into the stone, all the while keeping his eyes focused on Kalee.

Her teeth ground against each other, and her eyes, blue like her mother's, seemed on fire. I placed my hand on her shoulder. She seemed to draw strength from that. We moved on inside.

Our footsteps echoed in the great hall. An unnatural darkness seemed to hover over the place, and felt dank with dread. At the other end, the king's throne held King Rodingham as always. But by his side stood one I had not seen before. His face drained of living color, but eyes and a grin that spoke of another life, if one could all it that.

The king held his eyes to the ground. I'd never seen him that way before. Defeated while he sat upon his throne.

"My name, Sisko, is Beltrid. I am..." He placed his hand on the king's shoulder. "I am the king's advisor now."

"I would say the king has made a poor choice, but I can tell the king had little say in this...this appointment."

A brief frown appeared before he regained his composure. He stepped down the dais toward me. "Someone in your, circumstances, should show a little more courtesy, I would expect."

"I've been through and seen a lot, this does not scare me. Now, tell me what you want of me. I've no time for foolish games."

He grinned. "No, I don't suppose you do. Limited as your days are on this land."

His words gave me pause, and did scare me. He talked as if not of this world. But if so, he could only be a demon. A demon in human form. This would mean something much bigger was at stake. I breathed deep and tried not to think about it. Had to focus.

"Then get on with it and tell me." I stared him down though I wanted to see what Kalee was doing.

"Quite simple, really. I want the ring."

"If you know anything about it, you know I can't simply give it to you."

"Yes, yes, I know. And anyone who has tried to cut it off have found themselves in worse predicaments, even..." He shuddered. "Turned from their evil ways. I knew you would not give it to me so easily."

Actually, I couldn't do any of that. But better to let him think I could. It appeared to be the only thing that kept him from ordering someone to cut it off now.

"So why do you ask, then. You want me to grab a knife and cut it off myself? God would prevent it if I tried."

"Yes, I know all that. However, I must offer before I take greater measures."

Now I chanced a glance at Kalee. She frowned, but a tight one. I slightly shook my head. I could see she wanted to fight. But, I did fear where this might end up. More was going on than I could sense.

"Then, Beltrid, wasn't it? What do you expect me to do?"

"I expect you to run as fast as you can back to your house."

My heart stopped. "Why?"

"Oh, a friend of mine had a date with your wife. A wizard by the name of Rodan. Heard of him?"

I felt as if I had been punched in the gut. I had heard his name, and what I'd heard hadn't been good. This had all been a pretext to draw me away from home. But for what purpose? I gazed around to see if there were opportunity to escape.

"Run home, Sisko. They will not stop you. Run, and we will meet again."

So I did. Kalee followed me. Laughter filled the hall, echoing in the chambers and my mind. Contrasting with my fear and growing hate if they had harmed one hair on her head.

We sped out the door. Kalee reached down to grab her sword and sheathed it as we bobbled down the steps. None of the orgs made any attempt to stop us. However, as we drew near to the gate, arrows began whizzing past us. They laughed. Apparently not attempting to hit us. They played with our emotions.

I raced along the road. Kalee even had trouble keeping up with me. I dreaded to arrive and find the worst fears realized. But I had to know. I pushed my body past endurance, and would not let it slow down. I crested the hill leading to the house and stumbled down it. Tears had already started before I even arrived.